Six weeks
by MarieofIlledra
Summary: Set between The Return parts one and two. What did all the other expidition members do? Now, everyone's favorite gate tech, Chuck!
1. Zalenka

**Looks like I might do a few of these, but updates might be slow...if you haven't figured out, oneshots are kind of my strong point, consistancy not so much. Just some ideas on what various people did during their six weeks on Earth between The Return parts one and two. First up, Radek Zalenka!**

Dr. Radek Zalenka was a genius. Really, he was. Fifteen scientists had been working for weeks on figuring out the problem he had just solved in ten minutes. Waving his arms distractedly, he muttered in the general direction of the man who was hovering just over his left shoulder. "The compression ratio! What if I just...yes, that _would_ fix the power problems, but what about..." He trailed off and began hitting buttons on the nearest computer rapidly. "What if we rerouted the secondary systems to dilute the power outputs?"

The young scientist stared at him in awe. "Yes, we could do that, but...if you don't mind me asking, of course..." Radek nodded absently, waving at him to continue. "Why?"

Radek snapped back to attention as his shoulders dropped. Sighing, he turned to his new assistant. He _had_ to remember to explain himself. Ever since he had returned from Atlantis, he was having a terrible time slowing down enough for his assistants to keep up.

Ten minutes later, his assistant's eyes lit up. "Oh! But the power requirement would be insane...can our systems handle that?"

Radek snapped impatiently, then stared at his hand in horror. Did he actually just use a patented Rodney McKay gesture? Obviously, Atlantis had managed to change him quite a bit.

"Yes. _That_ is why we would have to reroute the subsystems." He tried with all his might to sound more patient than he was feeling as a dull pounding began in his head. True, his work in Atlantis had been scattered, and he had been forced to endure Rodney's egotistical tendencies, but it has been some of his best work, and at least he didn't have to stop and explain his every idea. Or work with new assistants who were utterly incapable of following even the simplest of instructions. Speaking of...

Zalenka was recalled to the present as his assistant started to enter an incorrect code into their experiment. "Stop! No! Just...stop." He muttered darkly in Czech before making a sincere effort to compose himself. "Why don't we both just take the rest of the day off and start work back up again tomorrow."

The now frightened assistant nodded and made a beeline for the door. Radek sighed and fished his phone out of his jacket pocket, automatically dialing the number that had burned itself into his memory just six weeks ago when he had been shipped back to Earth.

A cool female voice picked up on the second ring. "Stargate Command, how may I help you?"

"This is Dr. Zalenka, of the Atlantis Expedition? I would like to request a transfer."

"Again, Dr. Zalenka?"  
"This is the last time, I promise."

"Very well, where would you like to go?"  
"Area 51. Put me on whatever project Dr. McKay is working on...I am never going to hear the end of this," He grumbled, knowing as he did so that it would be completely worth it.

"I'm afraid that Dr. McKay is no longer working with either Area 51 or the SGC."

Radek blinked, staring at the phone in confusion. "I'm sorry...what?" There was a pause as he listened to the woman's explanation. " HE WENT WHERE? _Without me?_ Who went with him?"

"Col. Sheppard, Dr. Wier, and Dr. Beckett."

"They took CARSON?" He muttered unhappily under his breath in Czech. "Never mind. Just...put me on the list of personnel to return to Atlantis."

"I'm sorry, Radek, but the SGC has no plans to re-occupy Atlantis, and Dr.'s Wier, Beckett, and McKay- not to mention Col. Sheppard- will be in quite a bit of trouble when and if they return."

Radek shook his head. "Just put me on that list." With a satisfied nod, Zalenka snapped his phone shut, suddenly much more cheerful. If he knew his team at all, he could be back in Atlantis before the end of the month.


	2. Lorne

**Okay, chapter two! From the point of view of Major Evan Lorne. I wanted to show how difficult it would have been for the SGA expedition members to reajust to life on Earth, and it would be hard for thier family members as well. So...here you go!**

Major Evan Lorne woke with a start as his girlfriend abruptly threw the covers off of him, snapping him out of a nightmare he had been having about one particularly nasty situation he had faced on Atlantis. He bolted upright, automatically scanning his surroundings for any sign of danger before relaxing as his surroundings came back into focus. He was in his house on Earth, not Atlantis. There were no Wraith about to storm in, only his furious girlfriend. Wait...

Kayla stood over him, arms crossed angrily across her chest. "Who the _hell_ is Elizabeth?" She demanded.

He stared at her in confusion. "What?"

"You heard me. This is the third night in a row you have been muttering about some girl named Elizabeth. If you are so worried about her well being, why the hell are you here with me?"

Evan sighed as he figured out what must be going on. "I've been talking in my sleep again, haven't I?"

Kayla nodded, and he noticed for the first time that tears were running down her face.

He gently pulled her down until she was facing him on the bed. "Come here, baby. It's not what you think, I promise. Elizabeth- Dr. Wier- is my boss. It has been my job for the past two years to protect her, and there were a lot of bad guys who would have loved to kill her. I've faced some pretty rough situations trying to keep her safe, and I still have nightmares about most of them. Thats it. She is a friend and team mate, but we never had any sort of romantic relationship. Anyway, my commanding officer was completely in love with her, and she with him. I wouldn't have gotten on his bad side for anything."

Kayla stared at him intently, clearly unsure of whether to believe him. "I can't imagine anything so horrible that you would still be having nightmares about it. You have been home for over a month. And I suppose that Teyla is another person you were supposed to protect?"

Lorne couldn't help but laugh, despite her obvious anger as he did so. "I'm sorry, it's just that if you knew Teyla..." He managed to regain his composure. "Teyla could kick my ass in a heartbeat. Anything I said about her would have involved me asking _her_ to protect _me_...or anyone else on my team. Plus, Ronon would have split me in half. Easily."

Kayla shook her head. "I just don't know. You've been gone a long time Evan. You disappeared for two years without being able to tell me anything, and now you are back and waking up screaming every other night. You almost threw me across the room yesterday when I tried to wake you from a nightmare."

Lorne sighed and shook his head in sorrow. "I know. I'm sorry...about everything. I know this must be hard for you, and how hard you have been trying to understand. If its any comfort to you, all the nightmares that I wake screaming from are because something has happened to you. Never Eliz- Dr. Wier, never Teyla. You. I would never intentionally hurt you, and I wish that I could explain everything."

Kayla laughed bitterly. "That shouldn't be comforting. Why would you willingly go to any post that caused you such distress?"

Lorne shrugged. "Actually, I don't think I had a single nightmare this bad while I was there. It helped being there, and actually knowing I was doing something to protect you and everyone else on this pl- er, country. Anyone else in this country."

Kayla fixed him with an ironic stare. "Not that you can tell me where 'there' was. Or what you did there. Or what this 'gate' that you keep shouting about leads to. Or why my putting my hand on your chest to wake you up causes you to try and throw me into a wall."

He winced at that particular reference, and she sighed in defeat. "Worse, I know that if offered the chance, you would probably leave to go back in a second."

He stared at her, truly startled. How did she know that? He had never spoken about how much he loved his job or missed him surrogate family, and as far as he knew he hadn't even dreamed about it.

Kayla smiled fondly at his confusion. "I see the way you light up when you think about the oddest things- you were smiling fondly at a turkey sandwich the other day. I never knew what you were thinking about till just now when you told me about your friends there. You had the same look in your eyes. I know you can't tell me anything confidential, but can you at least tell me about them? At least I'll know who was taking care of you. And, if you do leave, I'll know that you are with people you love."

Lorne beamed at her. "I love you, you know." He murmured, completely in awe of how selfless she was. The trust she was showing was unequivocal. He reached under the bed and pulled out a box full of pictures. He picked up a picture of Sheppard's team eating in the mess hall and smiled at it fondly. "These guys are always managing to get into trouble..."


	3. Teyla

**I've been working on this one for awhile...the next installment of Six Weeks! I wanted to show some of what Ronon and Teyla had been doing at the Athosian settlement...and why she went from "my place is with my people" to "we would not be working for the Genii, merely with them" in such a short time. :) Not necessarily shippy, although it is easily inferred. I thought it would be interesting to show some disallusionment for her, since the Earth folks had trouble adjusting as well. Enjoy!**

**Marie**

Teyla smiled in welcome as her old friend stepped into her tent. "Jaydin! Come in." Although the woman was several years older than Teyla, they had always shared a close friendship, and Teyla had been enjoying reconnecting with her now that they were back with her people.

Jaydin's eyes roved over her tent, taking in the assortment of Athosian, Earth, Ancient, and Satedan objects. "I see you are finally all settled in."

Teyla nodded. "Yes, mostly. I did not realize how many things I had acquired during my stay on Atlantis." She pushed back a pang at the thought of her friends, now an entire galaxy away.

Jaydin caught the sadness in her eyes and gently clasped her forearms. "Teyla, how are you doing? Are you happy here?"

Teyla nodded, her eyes serious. "I am pleased to be back with my people again. It is as though I have been given a second chance to..." She trailed off as Jaydin shook her head reprovingly.

"That is not what I asked." She changed the subject abruptly. "Do not take this the wrong way, but...why is Ronon still here? We are almost done rebuilding, and even I can see he is growing restless."

Teyla sighed, pushing away from the table and idly reorganizing the things in the tent. She picked up one of Ronon's arm bands and began to look for the other. "He wants me to leave with him."

Jaydin let out a long breath. "I thought he might. Have you given him an answer?"  
Teyla shook her head, unable to meet her eyes. "Truthfully? I am torn. My heart is glad to be among my people again, but...I, too, have been feeling restless. I fear I have been away from here too long. My time on Atlantis has changed me, and now that the Lanteans have returned to Earth I do not know who I am. I feel..." She halted, unable to express her feelings in mere words. "I feel confused."

Jaydin nodded, moving until she could see Teyla's face. "Every single one of your people would understand if you felt that you could not stay. You chose to go to Atlantis to protect us, and you have given us all hope. We want you to be happy, and we will understand if you cannot do that here. You were meant for more than simply the life of a farmer." Her tone lightened, gently teasing. "Besides, you would not be the first of our people who left because of a handsome man."

"Ronon is my friend and team mate, Jaydin. Nothing more." Her tone was sharper than she had intended.

Jaydin smiled knowingly. "Yet he shares your tent, and you consider leaving your own people to live life on the run with him. Whether or not you have a romantic relationship, you have already made a lifetime commitment to him...and he to you. Why else would he be willing to stay with us for so long? You have been through things together that no one else can understand. At least, no one in this galaxy. You need each other."

Teyla stared at her in shock before ducking her head to conceal her thoughts. To give herself time, she moved to put Ronon's wrist guards back on 'his' side of the tent. When she once again met Jaydin's eyes, her gaze was calm.

"You have given me much to think on, and I cannot deny that some of your words speak truth." She rested their foreheads together in the traditional Athosian gesture, signifying her gratitude as well as a change in subject. "Will your family join us for the evening meal tonight?" She smiled slightly. "I promise not to attempt to cook."

Jaydin returned her smile. "Very well. Will you have enough meat? I can bring..."

Teyla cut her off with a raised hand. "NO! Even with your family, we will have meat left over. Your husband should not have allowed Ronon the use of his bow."

Laughing, Jaydin shook her head. "Are you sure that there is nothing romantic going on between you?" She ducked a swipe aimed at her head. "All I'm saying is that he can hunt, he is absolutely gorgeous, apparently easy to live with..."

Teyla rolled her eyes but did not attempt to hide her smile. "If you do not change the subject..." She warned.

"What?"

"I will make tuttle root soup and force you to eat it!" Teyla exclaimed triumphantly. Jaydin laughed, an expression of mock horror crossing her features.

"You wouldn't!"

Jaydin jumped slightly as Ronon stuck his head into the tent, and Teyla smirked.

"Wouldn't what?" He asked conversationally, clearly enjoying Jaydin's fright.

"She's threatening to make me eat her tuttle root soup." Jaydin explained once she recovered from her shock.

Ronon squinted in thought. "Is that the stuff you made when we were stuck on M3R-442 that made Sheppard sick?" He dodged the punch she threw in his direction easily.

Jaydin laughed gleefully.

Teyla glared.

Ronon shrugged, completely unapologetic. "I liked it." He nodded to Jaydin and ducked back out of the tent.

Jaydin raised an eyebrow and grinned. "And he likes your cooking..."

"Out! And don't you dare say a word at dinner." Laughing despite herself, Teyla shooed her friend out the door.

Jaydin hadn't been gone a minute when Ronon reappeared. "Halling wants to see you. Should I send him in?"

She nodded. Being back with her people was wonderful, but they did have a habit of demanding her time and enthusiasm. The constant drop ins where what had caused her to take over a month to unpack.

Ronon observed the tired set of her shoulders. "You sure? I can tell him to come back later."

She smiled gratefully, straightening. "I am certain. Thank you for letting me know." Ronon nodded and held the tent flap open for Halling to come through, ducking out to give them privacy. Teyla noticed with trepidation that Halling did not look pleased. She winced internally. He had probably already spoken to Jaydin.

"Halling! Come in." She greeted, ushering him to a chair.

"Teyla." He didn't waste any time getting to the point. "Are you leaving us?"

She sighed, only her formidable control keeping her frustration from her face. "I do not know. Ronon has asked me to go with him when he leaves, but I have not yet made my decision."

Halling flushed with indignation. "What right does he have to ask you to leave your people? He should be grateful that we allow him to stay with us, not try and force you to leave."

Teyla's eyes flashed in anger, and she physically tensed in an attempt to restrain her outraged words. "You do not mean that. And you should know me well enough to know that I could never be forced into anything. Ronon is as much my family as any of you are, and you _will_ treat him with more respect." Despite her attempts at restraint, her tone was exacerbated.

Halling recoiled, unused to harshness from the mild mannered Athosian leader. "I meant no disrespect, Teyla. He has been an invaluable help to us as we rebuilt. Only that, as you well know, many of the Athosians are...concerned. When he leaves, you may have trouble finding a husband who is willing to believe that you and Ronon could share a tent and..."

Teyla held up a hand to stop him. "You know my stance on this, Halling. You said the same thing when I began training to fight, and when I left to live with the Lanteans. _I do not care_."

Halling stared at her in disbelief. "For someone who _claims_ to be an Athosian, you seem to care very little for our beliefs and customs."

Teyla started, eyes radiating pain. How could he say that she didn't care about her own people? Halling took no notice, standing up and striding from the tent.

Teyla sank slowly to the floor, her heart overflowing with sorrow.

It had bad enough to have to leave Atlantis, worse to say good bye to her friends from Earth, and terrifying to realize that she was an outsider among her own people. But to have it thrown into her face by the man who had taken her in once her father had died? She felt her heart breaking, and she had never felt more alone. Slowly, one tear escaped her control and slid down the side of her face.

Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her body, lifting her off of the floor and setting her gently onto the closest bed. Ronon titled her face up in order to meet her eyes, his own gaze concerned. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. He studied her features intently, frowning as he saw the lone tear. For Teyla to actually cry took a lot. He searched his memory for anything that could have upset her. Halling came and visited, but they usually got along quite well... his gaze lit up in sudden understanding. His voice was gentle.

"When I went to stay with the remains of my people, I was surprised to find that they were frightened of me. Despite the fact that we shared a home world, I could not find anything in common with them. They were unable to look past the fact that I had been a runner and then lived in the city of the Ancestors. It was... difficult...to realize that those I considered my people could not accept who I am now."

Teyla looked up at him curiously, as he had never spoken much of either his past or the time he spent with his people. He met her gaze firmly, pulling her ever so slightly closer to himself.

"Then, I walked back through the gate to see Sheppard and McKay fighting over whose turn it was to be captured, and Elizabeth mediating. You were laughing at all three of them, and I realized that although Sateda will always be a part of me, I was part of a new family, a new people. It was that same week that John reinvented the term Lantean to describe the expedition members. All of them- the ones from Earth, Sateda...Athos..."

She smiled gently, understanding his point. "Thank you, Ronon. As you said, it is simply difficult to come to the realization that I have changed. I am not merely Athosian any more."

Ronon released her and extended a hand to help her up, looking slightly embarrassed at his long and uncharacteristic speech. She took, doubly surprised when he pulled her up and then touched their foreheads together in the traditional Athosian gesture.

She smiled fondly as he pulled away. "You want to spar a bit before Jaydin and her family come for supper? I do not want to be too out of shape when we leave to hunt the Wraith."

He smiled as he heard the plural and understood that she would be coming with him. "Sounds good."


	4. Chuck

**Hey guys! So sorry, its short I'm having major writers block on this fic. Speaking of, if anyone has ideas/requests on other people to write about, please leave it in a review or PM me! Thanks! I hope you enjoy!**

**Marie**

Chuck smiled slightly at the couple across the room. The man was sprawled casually in his chair as the woman scolded him lightly for his posture. Reluctantly, the man straightened ever so slightly. Chuck's sister and current lunch companion sent him a quizzical glance.

"You okay?"

He nodded, chuckling softly. "Yeah, I'm good." He gestured subtly towards the the couple. His sister, Emily, snuck a quick glance at them and shrugged.

"What about them?"

He shook his head at her obtuseness. "They are cute."

His sister shook her head in disbelief. "They are not even looking at each other, how is that cute? And how would you know anyway!"

Chuck grinned. He loved working his sister up. "It is obvious! How can you not see it? Okay, look at them."

She rolled her eyes, but inched her chair around until she could observe them without blatantly staring.

"See how comfortable they are with each other? How he is leaning so casually?"

His sister bristled. "Yeah, which doesn't mean that they have romantic feelings for each other. In fact, I think its just the opposite."

Chuck shook his head. "No, look how comfortable she is leaning into his space," He commented as the woman leaned over to snag one of her companion's fries, "See how he doesn't object? It has clearly happened before. In fact, she knows that he wont mind because he doesn't particularly like french fries."

Emily laughed. "You can't possibly know that!"

He sent her a smug glance as the man indicated that the waiter should take his plate away, fries still untouched. The man stood and extended his hand to his companion. She took it, grinning, and placed a playful kiss on his lips. As they walked past Chuck's table, he glanced pointedly towards the rather large engagement ring glinting on her finger.

When they were out of sight, his sister turned to him in amazement. "What the hell did they teach you wherever you were? How did you know all that?"

Chuck shrugged. "Trust me, it was imperative to my own safety to be able to read my commanders well. Two of them had this long unrequited-love thing going on. They acted like that all the time." He paused, considering. "It was actually kind of sickening."

Emily smiled slightly at the revolted expression on his face. "And how did gaging their unrequited love keep you safe?"

Chuck nodded wisely. "Well, without going into too much detail, our military commander, Colonel Sheppard, liked to get into...dangerous... situations. Our leader, Dr. Wier, was always very... concerned... when he was gone, and therefore snapped on almost anyone. For almost any reason. It was worse because she would never admit why she was worried."

Emily nodded. "Ah. I understand how that could be...difficult...for you."

Chuck grinned. "Nah, as long as you never look them in the eye it usually turned out okay."

Across the table, Emily's cellphone rang loudly. Chuck couldn't stop himself from jumping slightly and scanning the area rapidly. He ignored the strange look he received from her.

"Sorry, it sounded like an alarm we used..." He shrugged. Luckily, his sister understood that there were things in his past that he couldn't talk about. She merely nodded, reaching across the table and squeezing his hand slightly.

"Okay, how about them?" She asked, nodding towards a table of four seated close by. "What's their story?"

**El fin. **

**Thanks for reading! **


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